Illegal dentistry plea gets Central Falls man two years’ probation

CENTRAL FALLS — A 27-year-old Central Falls man received two years’ probation after admitting he practiced dentistry illegally from his Clay Street apartment.

Ray Guillen, of 77 Clay St., Apt. 2, pleaded no contest Monday before Superior Court Judge Jeffrey A. Lanphear to practicing without a license. As part of the plea agreement, a drug possession count was amended to one of maintaining a public nuisance, and two remaining charges were dismissed, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

According to Amy Kempe, public information officer for the Office of Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin, the case dates back to last April 6, when Central Falls police, responding to the multi-residence for another call, came upon dental equipment in Guillen’s residence.

Central Falls police consulted with the R.I. State Police, and State Police obtained a search warrant, said Kempe. In Guillen’s apartment, they found a dentist chair in the living room, X-ray equipment, and a cabinet filled with dental tools for drilling and cleaning, retainers, morphine and other drugs. Additionally, a vial of steroids was found in Guillen’s room, as well as business cards that identified him as a “tooth whitening specialist” operating out of Blackstone Dental, said Kempe.

According to Central Falls Police, they initially took Guillen into custody over the steroids. Following a subsequent investigation, State Police charged Guillen with possession of radiation equipment without a license, operation of a dental practice without a license, possession of controlled substances, and possession of drugs with a foreign label.

Guillen received two years’ probation on each of the two counts, to be served concurrently, said Kempe.

According to Guillen’s attorney, John Lynch Jr., he holds a doctorate in dentistry from the Dominican Republic, but is currently working at a U-Haul trailer manufacturing company in New Bedford.

Lynch noted that Guillen agreed to plead no contest to two R.I. Department of Health violations. He said that given his client’s educational background and other circumstances of the case, he considered the plea agreement to be “a reasonable offer for everybody.”